Scambuster: Fake “Color Runs” Scheduled For Mobile – WKRG

Scam alert for you–A website says there is a color run 5K scheduled for Sunday at the University of South Alabama, but officials say it’s a scam.

The website, FunColorRun5k.com lists several cities where 5k’s are to be held, and it says Mobile is scheduled for August 13th at USA’s campus.

When asked though, school officials told police they hadn’t heard of any kind of 5K going on this weekend.

What is odd–and what should send up red flags–is that the website tells runners to pick up their information the day before at the Hilton Garden Inn in Daphne.

If this were a real 5k, things like a packet pickup would have been held at a hotel closer to the event location.

Officials say stick with races held by reputable companies that you are familiar with.

“Word of mouth is a great advertiser for these events. If it’s something that’s well established and well known, chances are it’s a legitimate race. We have several legitimate races in mobile and those are put on by well-known charities that are established in our community and those are easy to verify,” says Sgt. Joe Mahoney with the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office.

They say to always research the group holding the race before handing over your credit card information on their website.